MTV's 'Generation Cryo' focuses on siblings conceived by donors

MTV

Breeanna Speicher with the Jacobson family in "Generation Cryo" on MTV.

Breeanna Speicher with the Jacobson family in "Generation Cryo" on MTV. (MTV)

Meredith Blake

In recent years, MTV has put teen moms in the spotlight. Now, it’s shifting focus to young people searching to find out more about their origins with the documentary series, “Generation Cryo,” premiering in November.

It focuses on a group of genetic siblings, all of whom were conceived by anonymous sperm donors.

At the center of the drama is Breeanna, a 17-year-old teenager who logged on to the Donor Sibling registry and learned that she has at least 15 half-siblings, all fathered by the same anonymous donor. The series follows her quest to meet them.

At a panel Friday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour, Breenna appeared on stage with four of her half-siblings, as well as Wendy Kramer, director of the Donor Sibling Registry.

It was largely left to Kramer to address reporters’ concerns about privacy. She stressed that the registry is operates by mutual consent.

“We don’t want to out anybody, we don’t want to invade anybody’s life, but we wanted to make a forum where those who want to be found can find each other, like these guys,” she said, referring to the panelists. “They just want to give these donors the opportunity to know them.”

Over the course of the panel, it emerged that Breeanna and her half-siblings hadn’t found their donor, or all of their siblings yet, though the show is still filming. She also expressed sympathy for brothers, sisters or donors who might not want to participate in the series when and if she should find them.

“If they’re not interested in doing this, which is pretty unfortunate, then I’ll just keep going and meet them on my own time,” she said. “The show gives us a great way to do it and it’s like the best thing ever.”

Her newly discovered half-brother, Jesse, agreed: “Once you hear the news you have x amount of half-siblings… it can be such a shock and such a punch to the gut. You don’t know what you say, you don’t know how to react. Personally for me I was so excited but for other kids it could be such a blow.”